1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a rotary coke cooling drum assembly including an improved heat exchange water-holding pocket configuration and a tension rod assembly for minimizing cyclical stresses on the rotating drum.
2. Background
Petroleum coke and similar granular materials are processed by passing the granular material in a heated state through a cooling apparatus characterized by a horizontally disposed rotating heat exchanger drum which is specially configured to rotate in a water bath or the like as the granular material is progressively passed through the interior of the drum to thereby uniformly reduce its temperature. One type of prior art coke cooling drum is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,217,516 to H. Waldmann et al. The coke cooling apparatus described in the Waldmann et al patent is characterized by a generally horizontally disposed rotary drum having an octagonal cross-section and a series of somewhat tubular conduits which extend transversely through the drum and are adapted to collect and discharge cooling water as the drum rotates in a trough.
It has been determined that it is desirable to improve the construction of the drum and the cooling conduits or pockets to minimize the chance of structural failure due to cyclical stresses imposed during rotation of the drum. The thermal stresses encountered by a rotary drum apparatus which receives very hot granular material at one end and is rotating in a liquid cooling bath are substantial. Moreover, the physical size of a structure which is required to economically process large volumes of granular material such as petroleum coke imposes certain stresses on this type of apparatus which create certain problems in the design of the drum and the associated structure which provides the heat exchange surfaces. The present invention provides an improved cooling drum assembly for cooling heated granular material such as petroleum coke and the like which overcomes certain deficiencies in prior art apparatus and provides a unique cooling drum structure.